Pansy - Viola del Pensiero Gigante Svizzera Rossa Giant Swiss Red Pansy
Pansy - Viola del Pensiero Gigante Svizzera Rossa Giant Swiss Red Pansy The pure bright red giant pansy plant is a biennial plant about 6" tall, with branched stems and ovate-lanceolate leaves, with a compact and regular habit. It produces large yellow flowers, 2-4" wide. Ideal grown in flower beds and in pots. It resists very well at low temperatures.
These small annuals, or short-lived perennials, are hybrids derived from the crossing of some species of violet of European origin, crossed to obtain large flowers and prolonged blooms. In fact, these are perennials, but generally there is a tendency to replace them every year, also because the summer heat often ruins them and flowering is much better on young plants. These violets bloom from late summer until spring, producing small bushes of leaves, 8-11" tall, from which numerous single flowers sprout, born on erect fleshy petioles.
The sowing of the pansy can be done either in the open ground or in pots. The soil must be worked and a fairly soft, moist and light soil is preferred. The seeds should be spaced 3-4 times their diameter. After having proceeded with the sowing, we move on to a light sprinkling watering or with a normal sprinkler in such a way as not to move the small seeds and then proceed with the compacting of the soil and eliminating any air bubbles. During the germination it is necessary to keep the soil constantly humid without exceeding. Germination times vary from plant to plant.
Sprinkle your seeds onto your starting mix, then sprinkle more mix over the seeds to cover with about 1/8" of soil- they need to be covered- and place them in a dark room.
Pansy one of the best known and most cultivated flowering plants for flowering, it is available at any time of the year and is always very long lasting.
The Viola tricolor , from which it derives, is also found spontaneously in Italy. It is a plant classified as an annual whose average height is 6”, but can also reach 14” in height.
In reality it is a biennial plant since it has a flowering in two phases: the first flowering takes place in November December, the second flowering in the following spring. In Pansy the plant begins to grow in late summer, resists during the winter and blooms during the following spring.
The pansy generates many seeds that germinate and ensure a recurring flowering with flowers that give colors ranging from purple to white to yellow with different shades.
It is native to Europe, North Africa and the temperate areas of Asia and is cultivated in different parts of the world. It has the ability to grow and adapt to different environments including mountains and plains.
Tips for the cultivation of Pansy:
Pansies are easily grown in pots and planters, you need to mix 1/3 of garden soil and 2/3 of soil for planters.
It needs permeable, fertile and moist soil with good drainage . It does not tolerate water stagnation.
Pansies are biennial plants that is their biological cycle takes place over two years.
If you plant them in the flowerbed or in the meadows, before planting the biennial flowers the soil needs a dig to remove weeds and stones and sometimes it must be improved with soil.
The hole that houses the plant must be double the volume of the pot, i.e. 8” wide and deep.
The roots must be untied and the clod must be planted with the upper part at ground level, the hole must be filled, compressed slightly and watered.
The plants should be spaced 8-10” from each other.
Temperature: Pansies are very hardy. They withstand frosts and full sun in spring. The preferred climate is temperate, tending to cold. In any case, the pansy can bloom even in winter if adequately sheltered from the elements. In summer the plant needs a more protected position to keep the flowers.
Light: Viola's prefer a position in partial shade, with a lot of brightness. It also tolerates sunny locations, but better not place them in direct summer sun, the flowers could suffer from it. If placed in full shade, however, they do not flower much.
Watering: Pansy should be watered regularly. It should not be allowed to dry out completely during the growing season or during flowering. You don't even have to wet the ground too much. Therefore it must be watered in moderation, every 15 days maximum, in the coldest months and always on days when there are no frosts.
Flowering: Pansy blooms in the fall, flowering continues during the mild winter periods and offers its maximum in spring, continuing through early summer. The colors of the flowers are very varied, ranging from white, to blue, to yellow, to orange, to pink, to red, etc.
Very easy to grow, they are one of the rare flowers that bloom in winter (if mild). It is said that " pansy blooms all year round ", but this is not always true as the plant suffers does not produce flowers when it is very hot or when it drops below freezing.
Flowers have 5 petals, with 4 petals (usually the largest) facing upwards, and the fifth facing downwards. The multiplication of the Pansy occurs easily by seeds that then self sow.
Sowing is generally carried out in spring in a mixture consisting of a part of sand and a part of generic soil for sowing. Fertilize every two weeks, in very low doses, preferably with a fertilizer dedicated to blooms
It is a flower connected to positive thoughts, sweet memories, a nostalgic and beautiful past.
The Flower is edible, that is, it can be eaten. However, those flowers that come from crops made specifically for human consumption, without (or with very little) use of harmful pesticides, etc., should be eaten with care. Don't use random flowers.
Language of flowers: The meaning commonly attributed to the Pansy is that of REFLEXIVITY, MEMORY, TENDER LOVE, ROMANTICISM. (da https://www.edendeifiori.it/)
Weight (grams):
1
Planting.
Possible from September - November
Harvest / flowering season
March - June